Nightlife Pandemic Recovery: A Boon for Taxis but Revellers Left Vulnerable
Over the past couple of weeks, a number of sources in the taxi industry have been reporting business is booming. Following the unprecedented drop in business thanks to the pandemic, drivers are breathing a collective sigh of relief. But as public demand for taxis soars, it is feared that the lack of drivers could have far-reaching implications.
Business is booming
Last week, TaxiPoint reported that Colts Cabs, London’s biggest taxi fleet rental firm, had hit their highest figure for card transactions since March 2020. For comparison, on Thursday 9th September they recorded 40,000 transactions whereas in June 2020 they were processing as few as 3,000 payments daily.
Although this only focuses on card payment data, it gives us a reasonable idea of the bounce back the industry is experiencing. Responses from drivers on Twitter seem to corroborate these figures.
One driver said, “7 years I’ve been in the trade now, and I’ve never seen it this busy!! I’m going home shattered after every shift! Once it gets going, it doesn’t slow down!.” Another driver had found themselves so busy in recent weeks they’d managed to buy themselves a new car. They said, The customers that left us for Uber back in the days.... have actually returned to us, I been so busy that I managed to buy a brand-new super duper Nissan dynamo taxi.”
After surviving such a hard 18 months for the trade, it’s good to see that drivers are now able to get back to business. With hospitality and nightlife venues now open across the country, drivers are getting fed a seemingly unending supply of customers. However, the rising demand for taxis is down to the fact there are fewer drivers on the road.
Increased Wait Times
Thanks to the pandemic and the lack of government support there has been a mass exodus of taxi and private hire drivers from the industry. According to government statistics, there has been a 5.7% drop (approx. 20,000) in the number of drivers across England. The real figure is likely higher as drivers who still have a valid licence but may have decided to leave the industry. The real picture will be clearer in the next year or two.
While drivers are faced with abundant customers, those trying to get a cab are having the reverse problem. The lack of drivers is pushing up wait times, with some outlets reporting that people are waiting up to 3 hours to get a cab home after a night out.
Speaking to the BBC, Aberdeen Taxis director, Chris Douglas said the problem is only going to get worse. He said:
"This is a national problem. Between now and Christmas, it is going to get worse. Demand for the night-time economy is going to grow between now and Christmas. This is going to unfold further.”
The longer than usual wait times have led to a number of reports that anger and violent outburst are increasing amongst drinkers at night-time.
Fears of violence
Night shift manager for Coxon’s Cars in Lincolnshire, Cerys Edwards, told The Mirror that she had been experiencing an increase in problematic behaviour following the pandemic. She said:
“We‘ve had cars vandalised, I’ve had my window spat at, punched on. I’ve been called all the names under the sun just because we’re telling them how long the wait is going to be.
We’ve got a lot of this since the shortage of drivers. And people are drinking harder. It’s like the zombie apocalypse – if they’re not staggering everywhere, they’re angry and violent.”
Multiple local authorities are discussing introducing extra transport services to prevent this spike in violence. Over the past month, people have been calling on London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to reintroduce the Night Tube. In the past few days, it has been announced that the Night Tube would be coming back in time for Christmas. It is hoped this will ease some of the strain on the transport network in the capital.
But not all cities are fortunate enough to have a tube system like London. Birmingham Council leaders are in talks about introducing a 24-hour public transport service due to a spike in homophobic attacks in the city since night-time venues reopened. A number of local authorities around the country are also receiving a portion of £4.12 million to help prevent violent crime hotspots, including those prone to disorder offences.
The lack of drivers is clearly having an effect. Taxi and private hire drivers are an essential service when it comes to getting home after a night out. Hopefully, the increase in business will encourage some of the drivers who still have a valid licence but have left the industry, to come back.